Utility tax nets $1 million for Machesney Park in first year

MACHESNEY PARK - A tax hike on electricity and natural gas has netted the village almost $1 million in its first year.

Village Board members narrowly approved a 5 percent utility tax in January 2013 to generate $950,000 a year. That money is earmarked for fixing roads, bolstering the police force and improving infrastructure.

Since then, leaders have addressed flooding in the McKnight Meadows subdivision, reconstructed the Illinois 251 service drive from Wood Avenue to the southern corporate boundaries and resurfaced 1.7 miles of road.

It paid for financing pedestrian signals and engineering the path along North Alpine Road to Harlem High School. The money covered the cost of hiring a police officer, buying a squad car and replacing a squad car.

Village President Jerry Bolin initially voted against imposing the tax on residents because he said they didn't clearly understand why the money was needed. Now, he says, residents are informed and he fully supports the measure.

"If you go back 33 years ago, when this village was incorporated, you literally had gravel roads everywhere," he said. "This has been a 33-year event that will continue many more years until we get to the point where we can maintain our roads on a regular rotating basis."

Village Administrator Tim Savage said board members chose to not spend every dollar generated during this fiscal year, which ends April 30. That way they can save some for projects that may happen this construction season, including:

Creating a pedestrian path from the west side of Harlem High School to southern corporate boundaries that connect several trails.
Developing an industrial park on the northwest corner of Interstate 90 and Illinois 173. The work is contingent on a developer showing interest in the land and the state issuing grants.
Filling cracks in the road, paying the salary of the police officer hired last year, hiring an additional police officer, buying a new squad car and replacing another.
The village would spend slightly more than $900,000 if all of the proposed projects are approved and completed - tens of thousands of dollars less than what the utility tax generated this year.

"We're usually conservative with revenue projections and try not to spend every last dollar," Savage said.

While the vote on the utility tax was initially contentious, some residents say they don't mind paying it as long as the revenue is primarily spent on road-related projects.

Dan Albright, who lives in the McKnight Meadows subdivision, said water used to creep up to people's knees on Brianna Way when it rained. The village's attempts to pump the water out weren't always successful.

"You had to drive right in the middle of the road. If you went off (the center of the road), your car could get stuck," he said.

That's why he welcomed the street construction in 2013. It showed that utility tax dollars were being spent on significant road projects.

"I'm happy that they made an effort to try to fix it. If it solves the problem, great. If it doesn't, I can't wait another 10 years."